CompTIA Network+ (N10-009)Network SecurityHard
Employees in a warehouse report that their wireless connections drop intermittently throughout the day, and a spectrum analyzer shows a persistent high noise floor across the entire 2.4 GHz band with no identifiable data traffic pattern. No unauthorized SSIDs are detected. Which type of attack is most likely occurring?
- ARogue access point
- BRF jamming
- CEvil twin attack
- DMAC flooding
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: B. RF jamming
RF jamming floods the wireless spectrum with noise or interference signals, raising the noise floor and disrupting legitimate Wi-Fi communication without necessarily broadcasting any SSID or exchanging data frames. Because no rogue SSID exists and the disruption is broadband, this points to physical-layer jamming rather than a spoofed access point.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. A rogue AP would also require a detectable access point broadcasting on the network.
- C. An evil twin requires a matching SSID broadcasting to lure clients, which was not detected here.
- D. MAC flooding targets switch CAM tables on wired networks, not wireless spectrum interference.
RF Jamming
A wireless denial-of-service attack that floods the radio frequency spectrum with noise or interference, disrupting legitimate Wi-Fi communication.
- Detected via a spectrum analyzer showing elevated noise floor
- Does not require broadcasting a fake SSID
- Difficult to trace since it operates at the physical layer
Memory trick: Jamming is the airwave equivalent of shouting so loud nobody else can be heard.